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Wednesday, 31 July 2013

It had a been a while since a comedy record had entered the Australian top 50, so we were overdue for another one this week 25 years ago. The spoof song that debuted just happened to be by one of the most successful comic performers of all time.

Who's fat? "Weird Al" Yankovic returned in 1988

In fact, "Weird Al" Yankovic (real name: Alfred Yankovic) had already landed a number 1 hit in Australia with "Eat It", his take on Michael Jackson's "Beat It" (which had only reached number 2) back in 1984.

ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart - week ending July 31, 1988

At number 1 this week in 1988, John Farnham barged Kylie Minogue out of the way as "Age Of Reason" took up a four-week residency at the top of the singles chart.New EntriesNumber 48 "Theme From S'Express" by S'ExpressPeak: number 11Still on the topic of number 1 records, here's a song that had spent two weeks at the top of the UK chart in May 1988 - and although it didn't quite manage to break into the Australian top 10, its peak position here was pretty good for a sample-based club record. Over a dozen samples are used in the track, most prominently the intro from "Is It Love You're After" by Rose Royce and some vocals from "I've Got The Hots For You" by TZ. I didn't quite know what to make of the record at the time - it was so different from anything else I'd been exposed to until that point, but I knew I liked it. My favourite bit? The "drop that ghetto blaster" line.

Number 46 "Hey What Now" by The CockroachesPeak: number 28The group that would become The Wiggles released a new album, Fingertips, in 1988 - and this was the lead single from it, but the disappointing chart performance of both single and album was the beginning of the end for the "Hardest Working Band In The Country" (according to one local newspaper). I could not remember this single at all and kept singing the title over the melody to the "hey let's go" bit from "She's The One", but "Hey What Now" is a bit heavier than that, although still very in-keeping with The Cockroaches '60s-influenced brand of pop/rock.

Number 35 "Waiting For The Heartache" by Jimmy BarnesPeak: number 33It was back-to-back rock ballads for Jimmy as he lifted a fourth single from Freight Train Heart. I was never a fan of Jimmy, but I have to say this was probably the song I objected to the least from his '80s output.

Number 22 "Simply Irresistible" by Robert PalmerPeak: number 1Meanwhile, here's one of the songs I most objected to by Robert Palmer (and I am a fan of quite a few of his other songs). The British singer repeated the music video concept from "Addicted To Love" and "I Didn't Mean To Turn You On" for this lead single from the Heavy Nova album, since it seemed people couldn't get enough of the "hot chicks playing musical instruments" idea. The clip became one of the most played at the time - and, naturally, the song sped up the chart and ended up spending five weeks at number 1. The song was also a massive US hit, but at least British audiences weren't so easily impressed and "Simply Irresistible" bombed out at number 44 there.

Number 15 "Fat" by "Weird Al" YankovicPeak: number 12Continuing the food consumption gag he'd started in "Eat It", "Weird Al" turned Michael Jackson's "Bad" into "Fat" and called his accompanying album Even Worse. "Fat" is still pretty funny - from the black and white section at the start of the music video (which sends up the similar portion of "Bad") to first line "your butt is wide" to that fat suit, the comedian doesn't miss a chance for a gag - and Michael was clearly in on the joke since he gave his permission for the song to be released (as he'd done with "Eat It"). Of course, as songwriter of "Bad", Michael received additional royalties from "Fat", but since money was the last thing he needed at the time, he didn't have to give his approval - and I'm sure there are many artists who would have refused.

Next week: a three-year-old song that received a chart boost thanks to a two-year-old movie and the arrival of 1988's most controversial record.Back to:Jul 24, 1988<<<<<<<<<<<<< GO >>>>>>>>>>>>> Forward to:Aug 7, 1988

Monday, 29 July 2013

It's been interesting recapping my favourite songs from 1995. Unlike in the '80s, when many of the artists I liked had personality, so much of the music I was into in the mid-'90s was by faceless dance acts or club divas with great voices but no story.

Even Saint Etienne caught the Motiv8 bug in 1995

Often the most interesting thing about a song from that year is how many times it was released until it became a hit or who remixed it. Meanwhile, pop acts were few and far between as grunge, rap, R&B and Britpop took over. It really was the calm before the storm, with 1996 ushering in a new era of pop - but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Here are my top 25 songs for 1995...Number 25 "Baby Baby" by CoronaOnce again proving my theory that all good Eurodance acts had one album's worth of hit singles in them is Italian combo Corona, who we saw on my 1994 countdown with "The Rhythm Of The Night". "Baby Baby" was a remake of 1991 track "Babe Babe" by Joy And Joyce (which in turn got its hook from a 1988 Siedah Garrett single called "K.I.S.S.I.N.G."), and became another Australian and UK top 10 hit. "Baby Baby" was followed by "Try Me Out" (number 83 on this list), which hit the Australia top 40 in two versions - one by Corona and one credited to Lee Marrow (featuring Charme). Lee was another pseudonym for Checco Bontempi, the brains behind Corona, and that other version of "Try Me Out" had been released in 1993. Then, there was the whole matter of who actually sang on the Corona tracks - but I might leave that for my 1996 countdown...

Number 24 "Freedom" by ShivaMentioned belowNumber 23 "Lucky You" by The Lightning SeedsLike The Boo Radleys, who we saw back in Part 3, The Lightning Seeds had been around well before Britpop took a stranglehold of the UK music scene - and although Ian Broudie's group was quite different in style, I can't help but think they benefitted from the love for all types of guitar music that year. The Jollification album went platinum and lead single "Lucky You" eventually became a UK top 20 hit on its re-release towards the end of 1995. Other singles "Change" (number 58 on this list), "Marvellous" (number 144) and "Perfect" (number 182) all reached the UK top 25.

Number 22 "Stars" by DubstarWhen I first read about Dubstar in Music Week magazine, a British version of Billboard that I was buying on import in 1995, I decided they were going to be my next favourite band. I hadn't even heard debut single "Stars", but the involvement of producer Stephen Hague and the description of the group's music assured me I'd love them. I made a resolution to buy every album and CD single issue by Dubstar so, in years to come, I'd have every B-side and album track. I think I must have started buying up box sets of Duran Duran and Depeche Mode singles that year, and thought it would be so much easier to start a complete collection from the beginning with Dubstar. Luckily (for me), I did love "Stars" and follow-up "Anywhere" (number 35 on this list), and the band had some good bonus tracks. Unluckily (for Dubstar), both singles only scraped into the UK top 40 - but bigger things were to come in 1996...

Number 21 "Don't Give Me Your Life" by Alex PartyThose Italians really did make great dance records in the late '80s/early '90s - and after flying under the radar with club anthem "Saturday Night Party" (aka "Read My Lips") in 1994, Alex Party exploded in 1995 with this track as well as follow-up "Wrap Me Up" (number 26 on this list). Both singles were top 15 hits in Australia, but the momentum didn't last - probably due to the fact that half of Alex Party were involved in another, far more successful act that we'll come to in a minute...

Number 20 "Work It Out" by ShivaIn 1995, a new British vocal house group look poised to rival Loveland as my favourite exponents of the genre, thanks to both this debut single and "Freedom" (number 24 on this list). Tragically, singer Louise Dean was killed in a hit and run accident in the middle of the year and Shiva did not continue without her.

Number 19 "Set You Free" by N-TranceBefore they made dodgy (but incredibly successful) covers of disco hits, N-Trance were actually quite a cool dance act, who, like so many others from the same era, had to release a song over and over until it finally stuck. "Set You Free" was originally recorded in 1992 and finally received a full release in 1993. It sank without a trace (well, number 83 in the UK) prompting a remix and re-release in 1994. The result: number 39. Finally, after another track, "Turn Up The Power" (number 122 on this list), was released, "Set You Free" was reissued again and flew to the runner-up spot in the UK and to number 11 in Australia. Then, they took on "Stayin' Alive" and it was all downhill from there.

Number 18 "Tell Me When" by The Human LeagueTheir 1990 comeback had been underwhelming, despite "Heart Like A Wheel" being quite a good song, but original '80s synthpop legends The Human League made up for it by landing what would be their final UK top 10 single and US hit of any kind with this track. The lead single from their seventh studio album, Octopus, "Tell Me When" was as good as pretty much anything the band had ever released, and reignited interest in them for the next couple of years.

Number 17 "On The Bible / Wand mix" by DeuceMentioned belowNumber 16 "Don't Make Me Wait" by Loveland featuring Rachel McFarlaneMentioned belowNumber 15 "Dreamer" by Livin' JoyHere's the dance act that featured one half of Alex Party - brothers Paolo and Gianni Visnadi teamed up with vocalist Janice Robinson on this track, a number 1 hit in the UK in 1995. But, surprise surprise, that wasn't the first time it had been released - it had originally peaked at number 18 in 1994. We'd be hearing more from Livin' Joy over the next couple of years, although not from Janice, who departed the group after this single.

Number 14 "Open Your Heart" by M-PeopleAnother year, another raft of M-People singles landing in my year-end tally - and in 1995, it was hits from the Bizarre Fruit album that made the grade. "Open Your Heart" was the second track lifted from the album and was followed by "Search For The Hero" (number 72 on this list) and "Love Rendezvous" (number 142). Bizarre Fruit became Bizarre Fruit II when the group's cover of The Small Faces' "Itchycoo Park" (number 34) was added to the tracklisting - their version no doubt horrifying fans of the original.

Number 13 "I Need Somebody" by Loveland featuring Rachel McFarlaneI was pretty much obsessed with Loveland in 1995. Their album, The Wonder Of Love, contained one great track after another - and singles like this and "Don't Make Me Wait" (number 16 on this list) were everything I looked for in a house track. Incidentally, one of the three producers who formed Loveland was Paul Waterman, son of Pete (from Stock Aitken Waterman), who passed away in 2005.

Number 12 "Shoot Me With Your Love" by D:ReamBesides releasing their own songs, Loveland also remixed tracks for other artists - and this lead single from D:Ream's second album was one that received the Loveland touch. Originally a group, then a duo, D:Ream progressively became pretty much a solo project for singer Peter Cunnah - and just as steadily the success of D:Ream singles decreased, with "The Power (Of All The Love In The World)" (number 39 on this list) only just scraping into the UK top 40. I'm not saying the two things were related.

Number 11 "I Need You" by DeuceBefore Steps there was Deuce, a boy-girl pop act with cheery pop ditties and even a music video featuring the girls in the group in wedding dresses. That song was "On The Bible" (number 17 on this list), which gave the quartet their only chart appearance in Australia. "I Need You" was Deuce's biggest UK hit and was originally in the running to represent the UK at that year's Eurovision Song Contest. It wasn't successful on that front ("Love City Groove" by the group of the same name competed in Ireland), but it was the act's only song to reach the British top 10. Kicking it all off had been "Call It Love" (number 33 on this list).

Number 10 "U Sure Do" by StrikeSampling Donna Allen's 1987 hit, "Serious", the second single from the UK-based dance act eventually hit the British top 10 after (you guessed it) struggling when initially released in 1994. The song also did well in Australia (singer Victoria Newton's home country), where it reached number 9. It was the biggest but not the only hit the trio would have over the next few years.

Number 9 "Back For Good" by Take ThatThe song for which they'll always be remembered, "Back For Good" was the sound of the British boy band maturing into a pop act it was OK for people over the age of 16 to like (not that that ever stopped me). Their best ballad by a mile (I'd never really been a fan of songs like "A Million Love Songs" and "Babe"), it even gave them a top 10 hit in the US. Of course, we all know what happened next... Robbie Williams left the group around the same time as "Never Forget" (number 96 on this list) came out as a single and the band split completely within a year.

Number 8 "He's On The Phone" by Saint Etienne featuring ÉtienneDahoFor years, they'd released singles that flirted with dance music, but on this track - Saint Etienne embraced the dance floor like never before (at least, they hired Motiv8 to remix the song, "Accident", from an earlier EP and they embraced it). The new track was included on their first greatest hits collection, Too Young To Die.

Number 7 "Paninaro 95" by Pet Shop BoysPreviously featured hereNumber 6 "Heartbeat" by Jimmy SomervilleIt had been five years since he'd released any new music - even longer between studio albums - but in 1995, the former Bronski Beat and Communards singer returned with the Dare To Love album and this lead single. I couldn't get enough of "Heartbeat", but the single was a chart disappointment. So, Jimmy did what he'd been doing his whole career - turned to a cover version. His remake of Millie Jackson's "It Hurts So Good" (minus the "It") returned him to the UK top 20 for what would be the last time.

Number 5 "Love Come Rescue Me" by LovestationI've already remarked on the proliferation of vocal house acts with the word "love" in their name - and here's another. Incredibly similar in style to Loveland, although not as successful, the British group also released the overlooked "Shine On Me" (number 51 on this list), but wouldn't receive much attention until 1998, when they took on Womack & Womack's "Teardrops".

Number 4 "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" by Nicki FrenchSpeaking of taking on classic songs, former session singer Nicki stepped into the spotlight with this take on the 1983 Bonnie Tyler mega-hit. Once again, it originally surfaced in 1994 but it took a second boost in 1995 for it to fly up charts in the UK, the US and Australia. In the UK, a "Flashdance... What A Feeling"-style slow-to-fast mix was the lead version, but in Australia, we had a mix which was upbeat from the very start - and that's the one you can hear below. Responsible for the production? My old friends Mike Stock and Matt Aitken - and the partnership with Nicki proved so successful that they even completed an album with her, with also featured "Is There Anybody Out There?" (number 60 on this list).

Number 3 "Fingers And Thumbs (Cold Summer's Day)" by ErasureErasure's 1995 self-titled album might have been the biggest mistake the band ever made - from a purely commercial point of view. Much more experimental in style than their previous albums, it featured lengthy tracks (future single "Rock Me Gently" came in at 10 minutes) and the weirdly titled "Sono Luminus". It was also their first album not to reach the UK number 1 spot since 1987's The Circus. I still enjoyed it, but I liked the edited version of this track, which became the album's second single, even more!

Number 2 "Break The Chain" by Motiv8Here they are: the dance act responsible for transforming so many OK songs into storming club tracks - and their original singles weren't bad either. Just edging out "Rockin' For Myself" as my favourite, "Break The Chain" unfortunately didn't do very well in either the UK or Australia. Another 1995 single by the group, "Searching For The Golden Eye" (number 46 on this list), was submitted for consideration to be the theme to that year's James Bond movie, GoldenEye. Tina Turner was chosen instead.

Number 1 "Sky High" by NewtonThe song was originally released in 1975 by Jigsaw. This version was produced by Stock and Aitken. And, the singer was a former fireman called Billy Myers who I met when he was doing the promo rounds of record stores in Sydney the following year. The combination (at least of the first two elements) was always going to appeal to me - and "Sky High" became my favourite for the year in a top 10 that was the strongest it had been in quite a number of years. Like the Nicki French song, "Sky High" received more than one release in an attempt to turn it into a hit - but it still bombed out in the UK. In Australia, Newton had more luck, with a peak of number 8.

Saturday, 27 July 2013

I'm halfway through my countdown of my favourite songs from 1995 - and it was a year in which something happened on the Australian chart that hadn't before: a rap song finished up as the year's highest-selling single. That song was "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio featuring LV, and I distinctly remember warning the full-time sales assistant at my casual music retail job that she should order up big just as the single was starting to take off. She ordered 10 copies, which we sold in a matter of minutes - and it then took us two weeks to get more stock in since every other record store had bled the distributor dry. Yep, I was that know-it-all employee.

Madonna turned serious in 1995

Rap had an even bigger year in the US, with The Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac fuelling that rivalry by both hitting the top 10 for the first time with "Big Poppa" and "Dear Mama" respectively. Australia was still quite picky when it came to rap - unless there was a catchy Stevie Wonder sample or it was a single by the awful Outhere Brothers, hip-hop artists had trouble making a similar kind of impact on our chart. Here are the next batch of songs making an impact in my world in 1995...

Number 50 "Don't Bring Me Down" by SpiritsMore vocal garage music here (and also at number 78 on this list with follow-up "Spirit Inside"), but Spirits were slightly different from the rest of the pack in that they had a male and female vocalist. The unique selling point didn't help their fortunes, with both tracks only managing a peak of just inside the UK top 40.

Number 49 "Wake Up Boo" by The Boo RadleysFinally some Britpop - kind of. The Boo Radleys had been releasing music since the start of the decade (well before Britpop even became a thing), but this song (which came out in the year Britpop was the biggest thing) was the band's most successful single and so they get lumped in with the likes of Blur and Oasis even though I'd compare them more to The Wonder Stuff. A delightfully cheery song, "Wake Up Boo" gave the northern English group their one and only UK top 10 hit.

Number 48 "Closer" by LiquidAfter a gap of three years, breakbeat/rave act Liquid returned to the UK top 20 with a remix of their 1992 hit, "Sweet Harmony" (number 73 on this list), but unfortunately this follow-up missed the top 40 entirely, despite being just as good and, in my opinion, even better.

Number 47 "Runaway" by Janet JacksonIn 1995, Janet finally exhausted all the single options from 1993's janet album (including this list's number 80, "What'll I Do"). Next up, a new track to celebrate a decade of making music that people wanted to buy (since Janet had actually released two flop albums before 1986's Control, which were conveniently forgotten about), "Runaway" became yet another big hit for Ms Jackson. It even name-checked Australia and featured the Sydney Opera House in the CGI-filled music video, which always earns points from us Australians.

Number 45 "Love Love Love - Here I Come" by Rollo Goes MysticFaithless kicked off their career in 1995, but it was this club track by another of Rollo Armstrong's projects that I liked from the same year. Given the track also featured Sister Bliss and Pauline Taylor, it was essentially a Faithless track under a different name - and it was a name that changed to Rollo Goes Camping and Rollo Goes Spiritual for other singles. Talk about over-complicating matters.

Number 44 "Your Loving Arms" by Billie Ray MartinIn the late '80s/early '90s, German-born Billie Ray Martin was the singer for dance act Electribe 101, but by the mid-'90s she'd struck out on her own and this song (which had originally been released in 1994, flopped, received a remix and became a hit in 1995) was her signature tune.

Number 43 "You'll See" by MadonnaAfter the titillation of Erotica and the experimentation of Bedtime Stories, Madonna toned it right down in 1995, releasing a retrospective collection of ballads called Something To Remember, which featured this new track and a cover of Marvin Gaye's "I Want You". The new "serious" phase of Madonna's career would last for the next couple of years and take in the release of her first (and only) critically favoured film performance in Evita.

Number 42 "Look Up To The Light" by EvolutionAnother excellent track from the Deconstruction label by a group who'd been putting out under-the-radar club records like "Love Thing" and a cover of Chic's "Everybody Dance" for the previous couple of years.

Number 40 "Missing (Todd Terry remix)" by Everything But The GirlI've been mentioning remixes a fair bit in my recaps for 1994 and 1995, but if ever a remix completely changed the career of an artist, it's this revamp of the EBTG track. It came out in its original form, which was fairly consistent with the duo's normal smoothy, jazzy sound, in 1994 to universal disinterest. Then, in 1995, Todd Terry's dance overhaul became a massive global hit and steered the group towards a totally new musical direction.

Number 38 "Only Happy When It Rains" by GarbageThe indie music press were falling over themselves in praise of new band Garbage in 1995 - and with songs like this, "Vow" and "Queer", even I could see why. I've been a fan of the Scottish/American band ever since.

Number 37 "Tingly" by Pop! featuring Angie HartTime for some Australian pop and this perky single by the aptly named Pop! (with Frente's Angie Hart on guest vocals) was not the hit it deserved to be. I blame "Accidentally Kelly Street", which most of us had still not forgiven Angie and her band for.

Number 36 "Got To Give Me Love" by Dana DawsonShe featured prominently on my top 100 for 1991, and in 1995, Dana returned with album number two and even managed to score a UK top 10 single with "3 Is Family" (number 41 above). I marginally preferred this second single from Black Butterfly - and the singles would keep coming in 1996.

Number 32 "I Am Blessed" by EternalThey'd dropped a member (Louise Nurding, as she was then known, got out while the going was good) but without missing a beat, the new three-piece Eternal carried on releasing hit records in 1995 as they moved on to album number two: Power Of A Woman. The title track even returned them to the Australian top 10 for the first time since "Stay". But, I never really warmed to that song and much preferred this slushy ballad.

Number 31 "I Luv U Baby" by The OriginalLike "Missing" and "Your Loving Arms", this club hit originally came out in 1994 (in the year's dying days) but was a much bigger success in 1995 - and like both those songs it was due to a remix.

Number 30 "Let Me Be Your Fantasy" by Baby DIf there's one thing this list is proving it's that persistence plays off. This breakbeat anthem came out in 1992 but didn't hit the UK number 1 spot until late in 1994.

Number 29 "Waiting For You" by Think TwiceYet another in the seemingly endless stream of acid jazz also-rans, this track by British group Think Twice benefitted from a great Roger Sanchez remix, which doesn't seem to be online. The original mix, however, was also pretty good.

Number 28 "Atomic (Diddy remix)" by BlondieWhile many of 1995's remixes were the piano-led anthems beloved by the likes of Roger Sanchez, David Morales and Frankie Knuckles, this revamp of the Blondie classic (my number 1 song for 1980) fell more into the Motiv8 galloping bassline school of remix. As a result of the revival, "Atomic" became one of only a handful of songs to hit number 1 on my weekly list of favourites in more than one year.

Number 27 "The Sunshine After The Rain" by BerriSometimes a good remix can turn a flop into a hit, but sometimes the mix is fine and the record-buying public just don't know a good song when they first hear it. That was the case with this single, a cover of a 1977 hit by Elkie Brooks (which had originally been recorded by Ellie Greenwich eight years earlier). Perhaps the fact that this new version, which didn't progress further than number 26 in the UK in 1994, was issued under the cumbersome name of New Atlantic/U4EA featuring Berri might have had something to do with the initial lack of success. Coming out in 1995 credited simply to Berri, the song became a UK top 5 hit and got to number 12 in Australia. Follow-up "Shine Like A Star" (number 53 on this list) was also a modest hit, but then Berri's career ended as (relatively) quickly as it had began.